Under normal operating conditions, an electric brake system for an aircraft relies upon an active power source, e.g., a power supply that is driven by the aircraft engine or engines. Such an active power supply can provide sufficient energy to drive the electric brake actuators on the aircraft, which may require relatively high drive power. There are, however, certain situations where aircraft rely upon backup power supplies. For example, an aircraft may utilize a battery (when the aircraft engines are not running) during towing, maintenance, or parking brake adjustment operations. The weight and size of the battery is dictated by the backup power consumption requirements of the aircraft and, therefore, aircraft designers often strive to reduce these requirements.
An aircraft need not always utilize its full braking performance capabilities. For example, full braking performance is usually not required during towing operations and parking brake adjustment operations because the aircraft is traveling at a very slow pace or is stationary. Even though full braking force is not required during these operations, an electric brake system may still consume a high amount of power by maintaining its full braking capacity.